Leonard silberman

Pure pleasure

Revisado: 05-30-23

I've come to a point where I am irritated by adjectives that don't belong, wasted words and unnecessary paragraphs.

Celeste, you have created a work of beauty. A joy to listen to.

Thank you.

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Frustrating -- but worth it!

Revisado: 06-07-16

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I never thought I could learn a language and I'm well beyond the age to begin (62). There are times I think -- I will never be able to pronounce this! -- and then it comes ... with practice and the infinite patience of the program. The grammar here frustrated me but the words and scenarios are useful. If you want to master the language, this needs to be supplemented with a grammar text. But it makes learning so much easier when it is heard in context.

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This author is wonderful -- just ask him

Revisado: 02-18-15

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The author's arrogance, generalities, name-calling, and overall attitude towards everyone is unbearable to listen to. I recognize the need in the first chapter to explain why we should listen to the author. But his self-congratulations never ends. I listened to two chapters before turning it off and I think there might have been one useful fact in the two hours. We learn why he is better than scientists, journalists, accountants, historians, his prior bosses, his colleages and, of course, all other traders. I even found AM radio more acceptable than this book.

What was most disappointing about Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s story?

There are no facts and nothing new to learn from him.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator was fine. He just needed something worthwhile to say.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Great story well-told

Revisado: 08-14-14

Any additional comments?

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It truly is a great story, well-told. There's little praise better than that. I hated getting out of the car and couldn't fall asleep while listening to it.

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I listened to it twice!

Revisado: 07-23-10

Since I didn't have a book jacket, I had no idea what was coming. I have never read such an authentic picture of a family and I was completely entrenched in the ongoing stresses of a family with teenagers. I did not find it depressing -- just very real. Excellent book Excellent narrator.

And I've never listened to a book twice.

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ROMANCE IN DISGUISE

Revisado: 11-06-07

I liked the story -- good mystery and lots of historical detail. I was very interested in the medical history discussed in detail. But the writing style -- and the narrator -- drove me crazy. It was a romance novel disguised as a mystery. The characters were simple stereotypes, with obvious outcomes. The villian was barely developed with a simple motive. Each character had to tell us directly every feeling and how much that charcter admired the other character, etc. If the story hadn't been so good, I would never have finished it.

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Interesting at first...

Revisado: 10-30-07

This is one of two books I've never finished. I listened to probably 80% of it but there was nothing holding me to the end. The author and the narrator seemed to drone on and on. I'm not saying that there was nothing good -- I still have the feeling of the beach setting and it was interesting seeing things from the perspective of the realtor. It was a picture of a person and a place... The picture just didn't move enough for me.... Maybe I'll go back finally and listen to the end of it....

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Frightening... Disturbing...

Revisado: 10-29-07

A first-person nonfiction book always requires a balance between the experiences of the individual and the importance of the experience. In this case, I think sometimes the author was too involved in his own confession. I grew tired of hearing how bad he was and how terrible his motivations were...

The perspective was very interesting and I have thought frequently about his perspective on the World Bank and charity. The U.S. lifestyle is not the only option. But there is something to be said for clean water and food distribution.

And a bill is only valuable if someone actually pays it....

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A sixth level book

Revisado: 10-29-07

My husband and I have altered our language. "That didn't make it to the fourth level," we say to each other when there's an automatic reaction to an event. Or "Maybe you need to engage the sixth level..." when facing a problem. And: "Intelligence is the ability to predict..." when my husband's keys are still in his pocket as he approaches the door of the car...

This book was sometimes redundant-- but repetition leads to retention and I needed it sometimes.

I have a Ph.D. in applied behavior analysis because learning theory has always intrigued me. This was the closest I've ever come to feeling like someone has united the nature-nurture issue. I often think of the question he asks: What would a brain do with an eternity of learning?
What would happen if each generation did not have to re-learn the same things?

There were some areas I felt were incompletely developed. I want to know how emotions interact with the learning process. I want to know to enhance the generalizations which lead to creative thinking. How do we Brain Train in a general fashion?? And how do we untrain the brain?

A book that leaves me with the desire to know more is definitely a book I'd recommend to friends.

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Realistic and dramatic

Revisado: 10-29-07

This was an entertaining book. I enjoyed the character and found him very realistic. I thought the story was well-developed.

The end, discovering the perpetrator, was a little disappointing. There seemed to be inadequate hints and the ultimate master villain was not developed well. I tend to feel cheated when I'm not given enough hints to have figured out the plot.

That said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to other readers.

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